Ray Rodriguez

Stories by Ray

The Dalles softball team had an offensive explosion in its first game with an 11-5 victory and rallied for a 3-3 tie in the nightcap of Saturday’s non-league doubleheader at 16th Street Ballpark in The Dalles. Coming off a 6-5 loss earlier in the week, first-year head coach Kim Kiser liked the resiliency her group showed in its dominant opening-game effort.

Toward the end of the 2017 season, Eliana Ortega found her stride on the gold course and repeatedly set new career marks. During Special District 2 Regional action last season at Eagle Crest Golf Course in Redmond, Ortega carded a personal-record of 115 on the first day and then followed that up with a 127 for a two-day total of 242 to lead the Riverhawks. “This year, I am coming in with much more confidence,” Ortega said.

With just four players having previous varsity experience, The Dalles girls’ tennis coach Debby Jones knew it was going to be an uphill battle against a more seasoned Redmond squad. Dalia Mondragon won her first match of the season, and three other matches were three set points from forcing tiebreakers in TD’s 7-1 loss Wednesday at The Dalles High School.

With the help of six errors by The Dalles defense, 6A Gresham held leads of 4-1 and 6-1 in the first two innings and jumped ahead by as much as 9-1 through three and a half frames in their 11-3 varsity baseball victory Wednesday at Bob Williams Field. “We did not come ready to play in the first couple of innings,” TD head coach Steve Sugg said.

Justin Eiesland’s Dufur debut was a smashing success. The senior slugger went 4 for 5 with two doubles, a run scored and six RBIs to lead the Rangers to a 14-10 victory over 3A Riverside in varsity baseball action Tuesday from Boardman.

Facing a state-qualifying 6A Liberty, The Dalles had very little margin for error if they planned to win. The Falcons took advantage of a few late miscues to break open a 5-all tie in the bottom of the seventh inning for the 6-5 triumph Wednesday in a softball contest played at Hillsboro Stadium.

When taking over as coach at The Dalles Middle School, Nate Timmons just wanted to make a difference. With Timmons and assistant coach Josh Stahly on the sidelines this winter, the eighth-grade girls’ basketball team used its stifling defense and all-around skill set to garner wins in eight of 10 games played.

Mercy I’aulualo wrapped up her freshman track and field season with third place in the shotput and discus events after personal-record tosses.
So far in two weeks of practice under the new coaching duo of Neticia and Aleluia Fanene, I’aulualo is already hitting her marks, which is giving her the motivation to pencil herself in for state competition.
“Last year really showed me that I can do what I set my mind to and that I can beat anybody that is in my way,” I’aulualo said.

From the end of the season, a 3-2 state play-in loss to Putnam on May 19, a handful of baseball players from The Dalles High School were still active for summer and fall ball and were also in the cages over the winter getting extra swings in. That preparation was geared toward making a 2018 postseason run.

DUFUR – The Dufur Rangers were an inning away from clinching a state championship berth.
Now, without Kolbe Bales, Bailey Keever and Connor Uhalde, the Rangers are not conceding this season at all – they are even more driven to show what they are made of.

While evaluating this past winter, The Dalles boys’ basketball coach Nathan Morris liked the progress his group showed. The Riverhawks also had an increase in all-Columbia River Conference winners, from two to three, as Dakota Murr chalked up his third straight first-team award and teammates Jacob Hernandez and Josh Nisbet secured second-team honors.

Jodi Thomasian and Paulina Finn were the prominent scoring options for The Dalles girls’ basketball team this season, and coaches from the Columbia River Conference had to devise game plans on how to stop this dynamic duo. Thomasian notched double figures in seven of the Riverhawks’ nine league matchups, while Finn rattled off 10 points or more in five of the seven league matchups she was active for.

MAUPIN – Through her four-year volleyball career, South Wasco County senior Allie Noland has seen it all and been through it all. Noland and junior teammate Jada Myers received enough votes from opposing coaches to earn all-state honorable mention awards for their standout play last fall.

Riding high off a solid 2017 campaign, Bill Barrier jumped up in class for the start of the Pacific Racing Organization Northwest Motocross Series and followed up a fifth-place outcome by posting a pair of top-3 finishes to capture second place overall this past Sunday at Horn Rapids Motocross Park in Richland, Wash.

On Feb. 24-25 in The Dalles, the second annual Columbia Gorge Basketball Academy Winter Classic had some encouraging results from local squads, as the CGBA sixth graders picked up their fourth tournament victory of the season and the newly-formed Big Sky All Stars, with players from Dufur and Sherman, claimed its first title.

BAKER CITY – In their first-round matchup, the Sherman Huskies were blitzed by Dorran Wilson and No. 7-seeded Prairie City by a 68-53 margin Thursday in Baker City. “We just came out and under-estimated our opponent in the first round,” Sherman senior Reese Blake said. “It is tough. You win some and lose some. They happened to get the best of us.”

BAKER CITY – Martin, Fields, Coles and Justesen are the last names synonymous with the Sherman boys’ basketball legacy, whether its contributions on or off the hardwood. Since many of the former and current high school athletes were young up-and-comers, many in the community have stepped up their efforts to ensure long-term success.

BAKER CITY – After Saturday’s season-ending 65-55 triumph against Hosanna Christian, Sherman senior Treve Martin stood with his teammates and coaches for celebratory photos. Instead of hoisting a big blue trophy, however, the team scored back-to-back consolation victories to claim fourth place at the OSAA 1A State Basketball Championships in Baker City.

The Dalles equestrian team competed in the first of three District Oregon High School Equestrian Team (OHSET) meets Feb. 16-18 in Redmond and posted 14 top-10 finishes. Some of those top performances were highlighted by first-place honors by the freestyle fours drill team of Tate Howell, Summer Kendall, Jaeden Biehn and McKenzie Shaw.

Through a tough ski season marred by a lack of snow and limited practice time, The Dalles trio of Matt Gragg, Louis Red Cloud and Maddie Gragg all qualified as individuals for Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association state action in both slalom and giant slalom events. Both the boys and girls teams missed out on going to state for the alpine races by one place.

There is no replacement for constant repetitions.
That’s why playing offseason sports is to crucial to the development of high school programs across the state.
Volleyball athletes from The Dalles and Dufur, representing the 18U Cherry City Juniors Volleyball Club, won their second straight tournament championship, the latest coming in the gold bracket this past Sunday at the Prineville Tournament.

The Dalles High School honored Ajay Rundell, Ty Wenzel and Leroy Tharp for their hard work and dedication put toward helping student-athletes during the past year earlier this month in a ceremony held on Feb. 16 at Kurtz Gym.

The 1A state tournament field is set. Eight squads are aiming for three consecutive wins to hoist championship blue. As far as the mindset of the two-time defending state champion and No. 2-seeded Sherman Huskies (25-2 overall), all-state point guard Jacob Justesen said this team is going in fully focused on their first opponent, No. 7 Prairie City (21-3) at 8:15 p.m. Thursday in Baker City.

The 1A football season will be much different with changes recently approved by the OSAA Football Ad Hoc Committee. Those moves affect the future of local programs such as South Wasco County, Sherman and Dufur, and many others across the state. “I like what has happened with the Ad Hoc Committee’s work,” Dufur football coach and athletic director Jack Henderson said.

MORO – At the start of the 2016-2017 basketball season, Reese Blake felt queasy, with some chest pain and dizziness, unsure what was going on. This winter on the hardwood, the Sherman senior is a key piece to a basketball squad that captured its third district crown and is vying for its third consecutive state championship.

MAUPIN – Saddened to see her high school basketball career come to an end following a 37-24 state loss to Hosanna Christian Friday, South Wasco County senior Ana Popchock could only think of the positives from what it meant to be a part of something special.

MORO – Back in 1989, Doug Martin and Joe Justesen claimed state championships in football and basketball. Nearly 30 years later, their sons, Treve Martin and Jacob Justesen, are looking to lock down a third consecutive 1A state boys’ basketball championship. “Just like anything, going back to Baker is a surreal feeling,” Treve said.

Moments after the final buzzer rang in Sherman’s 74-44 victory over Condon-Wheeler last Saturday, there wasn’t a lot jumping around in celebration – three straight district titles is a nice thing, but this team has loftier goals to accomplish. The drive for a third consecutive state championship starts at 4 p.m. Saturday against No. 16-ranked Grand View Christian Academy in Moro with a trip to Baker City hanging in the balance.

In the competitive cheer world, there is a thin line between winning and second place. Luckily, The Dalles cheerleaders have one last opportunity to show their heart and pride this weekend at the United Spirit Association Spirit Nationals at the Anaheim Convention center in Anaheim, Calif.

MORO – As the curtain closes on a promising breakthrough for the Sherman girls’ basketball program, head coach Steve Bird is looking forward to a productive offseason with all but three players returning for play next winter.

Hood River Valley staked itself to a 17-point cushion at one point, but The Dalles stormed back to cut the lead down to five points with two minutes remaining, but could not get any closer in what was a 64-53 road triumph for the Eagles Tuesday on senior night at Kurtz Gym in The Dalles. “It was super-frustrating losing to Hood River in my last game at home,” TD senior Dakota Murr said.

A state play-in berth was riding on the line. The Dalles girls’ basketball team fell behind by a 13-0 margin in the first half and fought to even the score at 43-all, but a free throw, followed by a missed buzzer-beater gave Hood River Valley a state-play-in clinching 44-43 win Tuesday in Hood River.

In her freshman year as a softball player, Jodi Thomasian came up to the plate in a pressure situation with a runner at second base. Thomasian will use the relentless drive and passion at Clark Community College in Vancouver, Wash., where she accepted scholarships to play both softball and basketball for the Penguins.

When thinking of the male influences in his life, Dufur senior Curtis Crawford names off his teammates and coaches, his father, Rick Crawford, grandfather, Ron Townsend and family friend, Russ Pishion as crucial mainstays in his development.
But, mama is No. 1. It is that stronghold and positive example that has given Curtis a will to expect the best from himself, as he approaches the next phase of life as a football player at George Fox University, where he is slated for duties as a receiving tight end at the Division III school.

MADRAS – Although blessed with a solid core of returners, there were some questions as to whether or not the Sherman boys’ basketball team had the depth and firepower to make up for the loss of four graduated seniors.

JR Scott went 3-1 in consolation action to pick up fifth place, and senior teammate Glenn Breckterfield went 1-2 in his final matches at the OSAA State Wrestling Championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

MADRAS – The South Wasco County Redsides have always used a team-first approach to athletics. Playing without injured Jada Myers, the Lady Redsides had three players foul out and two other finish with four fouls, and still had enough to come away with a 51-41 victory over Sherman to capture their first Big Sky Conference championship since the 1983 season.

PORTLAND (OSAA) — Players in high school football who are detected with missing or improperly worn equipment during playing action will be removed from the game for at least one down, unless the improper equipment is directly attributable to a foul by the opponent.
This revision in Rule 1-5-5 and other related rules was one of five rules changes for the 2018 season recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee at its January 19-21 meeting in Indianapolis.

Due to the lack of snow this year, The Dalles ski team has missed out on every race on its schedule, except one, which meant coach Dane Klindt’s crew had to pull double duty last Sunday in a pair of giant slalom runs on the Paintbrush Course at Timberline Ski Resort.

The Dalles High School Booster Club has a mission to encourage excellence for all students involved in athletic activities, stimulate a positive community image, promote student health and a healthy competitive spirt at TDHS by providing resources, promoting parent and community involvement in a strategic partnership designed to enhance the development of all athletic activities.

Through her work with a traveling PGA Junior League in tournaments, training sessions and camps as the PGA golf professional at The Dalles Country Club, Amy Wilson has seen a burgeoning stockpile of talented golfers rising up the ranks over the years. Now, she can finally put that expertise to action as the new head coach of The Dalles High School girls’ golf program.

Greeted by sunny skies, 70 local harriers had a chance to shine under top conditions for the 11th annual Valentine’s Day 3k, 5k and 10k River Trail run/walk at Lewis and Clark Festival Park in The Dalles with several putting out solid numbers along the way.